


Father's Day

by AnotherGallavichLove



Series: La Vie [2]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Father's Day, Gifts, M/M, happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:35:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7258381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherGallavichLove/pseuds/AnotherGallavichLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A father's day in the Cabrera-Milkovich house.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Father's Day

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I'm thinking that this is set somewhere around the epilogue, but I honestly haven't given it all too much thought.

The clock on the microwave was only seconds from hitting seven am as soft, bare feet walked back and forth over the hardwood floors in the kitchen, some kind of sunlight seeping in through the bare, glass windows despite the cloudy sky. Briana couldn’t say that she minded it - though a part of her had actually missed the sun a little bit since it was somewhat more rare up in North Carolina than it was here in Miami, clouds and rain calmed her down - and she knew that it did the same for her brothers.

 

The house was completely silent though the three of them were all only inches away from each other, getting somewhat annoyed and bumping hips because they wanted into all of the same cupboards. It was too early to talk, not one of them had gotten their morning cup of coffee yet.

 

One of Yevgeny’s grey sweatpants that Briana had stolen years and years ago sat on her hips, the legs cut off to make them into shorts instead - she was pretty sure that he had yelled at her about it when she had first put the scissors into the fabric when she had been sixteen, but to be fair he had like eight more pairs and they all looked the same. One of her - or Brian’s, she couldn’t be sure anymore; she bought them herself just as much as she stole them from her twin brother - way too oversized, black muscle tees hung off of her shoulders, ending a bit down her thighs right before the shorts did.

 

The long, dark hair had gone unbrushed for a few days, making it a lot more wavy than it would typically be, the strands collected into a ponytail at the back of her head, falling down over her shoulders. Briana’s makeup free face was settled into a neutral expression as she focused on helping get the breakfast ready and out onto the table, her brother’s yawns spreading like ebola. One or two things she still found difficult to do with only one arm - Brian had to rush to stop a high stack of glasses from falling out of the cupboard, though that was mostly because she was tired and wasn’t looking. For the most part, she was actually pretty good.

 

Yevgeny hadn’t really bothered to bleach his hair all that much lately, so by now the roots were beginning to show that darker shade of ash blonde that it was when it came out of his head to begin with - a part of him had always found it strange that his mother’s genes had come through so strongly. Looking at his younger siblings, or his aunt, it was pretty clear that his dad’s side was strong.

 

But Yevgeny hadn’t gotten the black hair, nor the blue eyes - and the only reason he was happy for it was because it took a lot less effort to bring the strands on top of his head to that light, almost white color that he liked it to be at this point in his life. Speaking of his head - it had been pounding continuously ever since he had woken up all of thirty minutes ago, his entire body screaming for caffeine. The kitchen was starting to fill up with that special scent that only came with a large breakfast. The waffles and the pancakes and the bacon, all mixing together into a smell that maybe should be appalling when all of those things were combined, but it wasn’t. It smelled like home.

 

The sweatpants that hung from Yevgeny’s tattooed hips were a shade lighter than the ones he usually wore, if only because they were old and had been washed well over a thousand times, yet they somehow still fit his body. He was pretty sure that the old rocker tee sitting on his upper body had belonged to his father at some point, but he couldn’t be completely sure. Nobody in this family knew up or down or in and out when it came to who’s clothes were who’s anymore, anyway. The kitchen floor was slightly chill under his bare feet, the plates of food heavy thanks to the fact that his muscles hadn’t quite caught onto the fact that he was awake just yet.

 

Yevgeny walked around the kitchen, circling around his siblings to reach the coffee cups and the plates from one of the highest shelves in the cupboards - the one that only he and Ian could reach, everyone else in the Cabrera-Milkovich family had to use a chair to get to it, even Brian though maybe he was just lazy and wanted to get a plate without having to stand on his toes to do it.

 

The only sounds in the house were the slightly muffled and barely detectable one of the birds outside and the lawnmower somewhere in the distance - who the fuck mows their laws at seven am, anyway? There was also the clinking of the dishes and cups and the opening and closing of the refrigerator door while the three oldest Milkovich kids worked on getting the father’s day breakfast ready. Yevgeny lifted his right hand up to his head, raking his fingers through the damaged strands of white hair, deciding that he should probably start taking better care of it at some point instead of just killing it with chemicals over and over again.

 

The long, curly strands of brown hair were collected into a large bun at the back of Brian’s head, a few of the strands falling out and tickling his neck, reminding him of the fact that it was soon time for another haircut. A white wifebeater was stretched across his upper body, feeling as if it was maybe at least half a size too small, making him realize that it had probably been his papa’s at one point or another. He was starting to regret the black sweatpants, because for every second that passed, the morning sun was starting to shine a little bit more and more in through the window, warming up the kitchen and the dining room along with the livingroom since it was all kind of into an open L shape.

 

The truth was that college had spoiled him, because it was never as hot up there as it was down here in Miami - though he had obviously grown up with this heat and had rarely left the state of Florida, or even the city, he had never enjoyed the heat all too much - learned to deal with it without complaining, of course. But he missed the gloomy days up at Duke right about now.

 

They were all kind of half in the kitchen and half completely off in their own worlds as they got the breakfast ready, the coffee that Yevgeny had started up slowly but surely making the kitchen fill up with that pleasant and familiar scent that meant energy.

 

A part of Briana was itching to get back to writing that essay that she should really be working on, but she also knew - and Brian had reminded her over and over again since they had begun college - that it was alright to take breaks. Pushing herself would most likely never benefit her in the long-run, no matter how much pressure she wanted to put on herself right now. She reached up to one of the middle shelves in the cupboard, getting the maple syrup out, turning around and placing it down onto the kitchen island right as their parents came wandering into the kitchen.

 

Nino’s little fist was clenched around the black fabric of his daddy’s v neck, his temple leaned against his collarbone as Mickey fought his smile at the sight of his three older kids, up so early only to make a special father’s day breakfast. To say Mickey was surprised would most likely be an overstatement, the father’s day breakfast was pretty much an annual thing in the Cabrera-Milkovich house, and it had been ever since Yevgeny was tall enough to open the refrigerator door - though of course Nina, Mandy and Svetlana had helped out on more than one occasion when the kids had been much younger than they were now.

 

All in all - though Mickey wasn’t surprised, this still made him so happy. Maybe it was even one of his favorite traditions of the year. Not because of Yevgeny’s perfect coffee or Brian’s fluffy pancakes, or the waffles that he was quite sure his daughter used black magic to create, because try as he did, he could never get them to taste the same as she did. No - Mickey loved this tradition for the same reason he loved all of the birthdays of the year, christmas morning, and all of the other family traditions - because it was just that. A family tradition. They were all a family, a big one. And a good one. Something he had never had growing up, save for Mandy of course. He just liked the reminder sometimes.

 

“Happy father’s day!” Briana’s normal pitched voice blended together with Brian and Yevgeny’s dark ones as the three words filled the kitchen, smiles growing on pretty much every single face - save for Nino, of course. He was still a little bit cranky and tired, holding onto Mickey as if his life depended on it. Which it kind of did this early on in his life, but whatever.

 

Ian’s grin was stretched out across his entire face, his left hand resting safely on his husband’s lower back, possibly mostly out of habit. He looked around the well-lit kitchen, at all three of his children’s faces, something turning in the base of his stomach. This wasn’t his very first father’s day in this family, of course. There had been one - maybe even two - before where they had celebrated both him and Mickey, but it never ceased to somehow amaze him, make him happy - maybe even happier than it made Mickey. For the longest time, he had felt like a failure or something - he had been in his late thirties with nothing and nobody. He had been in his thirties and he had had about as much knowledge about who he really was as the average fifteen yearold.

 

But then, he had walked into that coffee shop and everything had changed. Now, he not only had a husband and a family - but he had the best one. He was where he belonged, and though he went through day after day, after day in this house, among these people - father’s day was one of the days out of the year when he truly stopped up and thought about it. Appreciated it.

 

“I love you, pap” Brian was the first one to hug, going for Ian first since Mickey’s arms were a little bit tied up, holding his little brother. Ian immediately returned it, his eyes falling closed for a second or so, the grateful grin never falling off of his lips.

 

“I love you too, Bri” After that, hugs were handed out all over the place, and once Mickey had given his oldest son a warm, but one-armed embrace, Yevgeny took Nino, freeing him up to hug the twins properly, telling them how much he loved them and how proud he was of them. The truth was that though it registered a little bit different in his head, the buzzing in the pit of his stomach wasn’t all too unlike what happened when he was near Ian. And lately, he had realized that that warm, fuzzy and fluttery feeling in his gut wasn’t reserved for his husband, and it obviously didn’t just happen in romantic moments in his life - it was just happiness. Love for his family and pride for how it had all turned out.

 

The hugs and the wishes were all good, but it didn’t last very long seeing as all of the massive amounts of breakfast that had been placed on the kitchen island smelled way too good, and before long, all five - six, counting Nino - were seated, elbowing each other in the sides to try to get into a certain mountain of food first, more and more talking filling the kitchen the more coffee that was consumed, waking the walking dead up.

 

Nino had fallen back asleep, though - leaned against his oldest brother’s chest while Yevgeny did his best to cut and eat the waffles one handed, and not knowing how the fuck his sister did this all the time. A small strand of bleach blonde hair fell over his forehead, and he threw his head back a little bit, trying his best to get it to leave him alone for now.

 

As they all continued eating, Ian had his large, freckled hand curled around Mickey’s bare knee. Maybe it was strange - to have this need to be touching, even after all of these years together, but that was just them. It wasn’t sexual right now, and it obviously wasn’t because one of them were uncomfortable in the situation or something - it was just a necessary thing for them. Hand holding, casual touches and forehead kisses.

 

None of it had been their thing by a long shot back when they had been young and in love, and scared. But now, it kind of was their thing. Those small reminders that it was just Ian and Mickey. That they were them, and that they always would be. That they would always love each other, and that they would be together until the day that they died. They had been through way too much shit for that not to be true.

 

“Okay” Briana was the one to stand up out of her chair about half an hour after her dads had entered the kitchen. The food was pretty much all gone by now, Mickey and Brian’s stomachs starting to hurt, warning them that they had both shoved way too much delicious breakfast down their throats. “We only have one gift, but it’s from all of us. To both of you”

 

Mickey and Ian’s eyebrows were raised, their faces lit, mouths pulled into similar smiles as one of them nodded, Ian’s hand staying safely curled around his husband’s knee, both of them wondering what it could be. Gifts had never been a huge thing in this family when it came to father’s day. Or mother’s day, for that matter. Gestures were more their thing, but usually there was something wrapped up. Sometimes it was a joke and sometimes it wasn’t.

 

Last year Mickey remembered the door-lock that they had both gotten from the twins, thanks to the fact that the one Brian had gotten them as a christmas present a couple of years back made a horrible screeching noise, letting everybody know exactly what they were up to. Which was why they had stopped using that one - fuck. Mickey just hoped it wouldn’t be something that mortifying again.

 

Briana and Yevgeny both walked out of the kitchen to get said present, Brian staying seated, swallowing the last bit of his now cold coffee as he typed something out quite quickly on his phone, sending the text message right in time for him to stand up and join his siblings as they brought the large, wrapped up rectangle into the kitchen. Ian’s mouth immediately became larger, Mickey’s doing the same while his eyebrows furrowed. It was quite obviously some kind of painting or something, but the white paper hid the surface well, and he found himself wondering what the fuck it could actually be.

 

“We don’t know where the fuck you’re gonna have the space for it…” Yevgeny started, everybody chuckling at the words, because, yes - whatever it was, it was large. Quite possibly even too big to look good over their bed, if they would end up wanting it there, but Mickey supposed they would find out soon.

 

“I took this picture about a year ago, around the time when I was really into photography. It turned out good, so…” Brian spoke as he and his sister both started pealing the thin paper off of the gift. Nino had by now been passed off to his parents again, and Ian bopped his son slightly up and down, making sure that he would stay calm and asleep against his chest while the fathers waited quite eagerly to see the picture their son had taken. As soon as the canvas came into sight, Mickey frowned. Not because he was disappointed - quite the opposite, in fact.

 

The large area was covered by a photograph of them. Ian and Mickey. It was taken out on the patio, in broad daylight though there was a hint of greyness, suggesting that the sun was just about to settle down a little bit. Brian must have stood down on the grass to snap the picture, because the house and the backdoor was in view behind the couple, some of the smoke from the grill closer to the camera showing up against Mickey’s black v neck. Neither of them were aware of the camera, instead they stood facing each other, giving the lens a straight view of their profiles.

 

There was quite a good amount of space in between them, though Ian’s right hand - the one closest to the camera - was resting, laid onto Mickey’s hip as they smiled at each other, probably talking about something or other. To be honest, barbecues were kind of a regular thing in the family during the summer, so he couldn’t possibly remember exactly which one this was, but it had to have been quite early on in the summer, since the grass visible in the corner was green and not yet dry from the heat. Mickey had a cigarette dangling from the corner of his lips, that smoke showing up as well; he looked… happy. Of course he did - happy was all he was these days, to be honest. Well. For the most part, at least.

 

Mickey had never in a million years imagined that he would ever like to have a large fucking picture of himself, no matter who was in it with him. But he kind of liked this one, if he was being honest.

 

Not because he was full of himself, but because he just did. It showed him and Ian in somewhat of their natural habitat. Together, smiling. Among their family, whether the others were pictured or not. It showed their love, even if it was a little bit subtle. The smoke, the cigarette, that was what kept it Ian and Mickey and why it didn’t look like one of those fucking ridiculous ass photoshoots of the ‘perfect’ couple. Mickey loved it because his son had taken it - it was a good fucking picture, his own face aside.

 

There was the greyness of the sky and the bright green color of the grass in the corner. The way the silver colored grill was just a tiny bit out of focus made it look more interesting. Ian’s red hair and the faded yellow color of the house - it looked really good. Brian was talented, and maybe that was the biggest reason why Mickey loved the picture.

 

“That is fucking amazing” Ian was the one to break the silence that had settled over the kitchen for a few second while the fathers had taken their present in. Their three oldest children smiled at them, Briana and Yevgeny moving the canvas a little bit and propping it up against a chair so that they wouldn’t have to stand behind it and hold to make sure it wouldn’t fall. Then they walked back to the kitchen island, Mickey wrapping his two arms around the twins and pulling them to his sides, if only because they were close enough. Briana wrapped her one arm around her father’s neck before giving his temple a kiss, silently thanking him for being such an incredible father to all of them.

 

  
***

 

  
Mickey swallowed, his cheek pressed against his husband’s sweaty chest in the dimly lit room; the covers were only pooled around their lower legs, it was all they could handle right now as they struggled to regain their breath from the intense fuck-a-thon they had just gone through. Ian had his right arm safely wrapped around his waist, keeping him close as his left hand was tangled together with Mickey’s. Still, after years spent together, Mickey loved the look and the feeling of their fingers slipped together.

 

He toyed a little bit, unbraiding their fingers and then braiding them again, just looking at the pale, tattooed knuckles next to the skinny, freckle-covered ones. This had to be one of his favorite times of the day - just laying in bed with Ian. He didn’t need talking, he didn’t need kissing. This was good. Just being close. Maybe it was because he was so in love with Ian, or maybe it was because they were both getting older now. Possibly both. Either way - he was content. Yeah, they were both middle aged.

 

Or at least close to being so - but so what? It didn’t scare Mickey one bit, if he was being honest. His life with Ian was - it sounded cheesy and pathetic as fuck - but it was just about all he had ever been able to dream of.

 

“What’s on your mind, baby?” Ian’s tired, somewhat husky late night, post-fuck voice poured into Mickey’s ear right before he pressed his lips against the black hair, waiting for an answer. Mickey was quiet for a second, a soft and content sigh slowly escaping his nose.

 

“We did good” Ian frowned a little bit, tilting his head down a little bit while Mickey looked up, their faces ending up barely inches from each other’s while the slightly younger man waited for his husband to elaborate. “The kids. Our family. We did good. We’re doing good”

 

“As much as I love them, Mickey, I didn’t have much to do with Yev and the twins. You’re the reason they are who they are” Ian reminded him softly, his fingertips drawing soft circles on his waist. Their voices weren’t much more than whispers right now, something about the night making it so.

 

“Maybe for the most part” Mickey muttered, pausing for a second. “But I see it” He added then, starting to feel his eyelids grow a little bit heavy. “Yevgeny having the balls to be vulnerable and apologize to Charlie. Briana fighting, Brian being smart enough to end shit with Cole even if it hurts - that’s all you” Ian blinked down at his beautiful husband, continuing to frown a little bit, wondering if he might be right. “Just ‘cause you weren’t here to begin with doesn’t mean there ain’t parts of you in them”

 

For a beat, it was quiet. Then Ian slipped his hand out of Mickey’s in favor of wrapping both of his arms tightly around his body, tugging him even closer, Mickey’s face ending up buried in the crook of his neck once again, breathing him in and feeling the scent soothe him.

 

“Yeah” Ian whispered a minute later, both pairs of eyes slipping closed. “Yeah, we’re doing good”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure what exactly this is, I was never planning on posting a bunch of one shots of this universe because it might screw me up a little bit then when I'm getting ready to start the sequel? When I'll have to make sure everything matches up with the timeline and stuff, but yes. I just felt like writing this one for some reason, and I also really miss these characters and this universe. Hm. Anyway, as always comments and kudos are appreciated and I hope that this was somewhat good. 
> 
> I hope that you guys have a great day! <3


End file.
